1.

Heidi sat on the Hogwarts Express and watched it pull away from the station. She waved to her father from the platform and watched his face grow smaller and smaller into the distance. Another year, another train journey, a long, long train journey…

However this year, there was one major change. The train was almost desolate. After the rise of Voldemort, the number of students at Hogwarts had slowly diminished. But now, numbers were at an all time low. Dumbledore had died, and no one felt safe anymore. Heidi was Muggle born, so her father knew very little of her life at Hogwarts – that wasn't to say he wasn't interested. He was still coming to terms with the fact she was a witch at all, even after seven years.

Heidi smiled at thoughts of her father. He had raised her so well after her mother had died, and he was just pleased she had a calling in life – be it a witch or not. He loved her, that's all that mattered.

Suddenly, an owl's face at the window shocked her, and she opened the carriage window to let the owl inside. It carried a letter with her name written on the envelope: 'Heidi MacAvoy'

She ripped it open, with the owl sat opposite her on the carriage seat. Quickly, she read:

Heidi,

I'm really sorry to tell you, but I'm not coming back to Hogwarts. Mum and Dad won't let me. It's not fair, but I understand why they're not allowing me to. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore, Heidi, I sent the owl to the train because I knew you'd be on it. You have to get off; you cannot go back to Hogwarts. I've heard rumours, rumours that I know you won't hear because you're a Muggle born. Merlin, that sounds horrible doesn't it? I'm sorry. The Ministry have big plans, because apparently it's been taken over by You-Know-Who, they're not letting slip anything just yet but it's going to cause trouble. You need to get yourself underground.

Just please listen to me for once, and stop being stubborn. You and your Dad can come and stay with us, Mum and Dad said it's okay.

Please, Heidi!

Love,

Alys.

Heidi chuckled breathlessly. She knew Alys wouldn't come back.

She let the owl nip her finger before letting it fly off into the mist and beyond the hills.

Truth be told, she didn't really care about these so called 'rumours'. All she wanted to do was go to Hogwarts and get her seventh year done – that was what she had come to do.

She stuffed the letter into her trunk and sat back, closing her eyes for a moment and wondering why her life at Hogwarts couldn't just be quiet. Someone was always getting into trouble, causing a fuss. She had enough trouble in the wizarding world being a Muggle born; she didn't need her life being complicated.

The train was quiet, not a lot of people had been on the platform. Heidi got up and made her way to the toilet to change. On her way back, she past a carriage that seemed the most full. Inside she saw a red-headed girl, who was very pretty, and a blonde girl, who had the brightest hair she had ever seen, and a boy with dark hair and a kind face. They smiled at her, and she smiled back.

She re-entered her carriage in her robes, to find someone already in there. His face was pointed with a shock of blonde hair, much like the hair on the girl she had just seen. It was bright, almost gleaming and hard to look at.

She smiled, weakly, "Hi," but he didn't reply.

Heidi rolled her eyes and sat down, checking the lock on her suitcase. He looked shifty. They would be at the castle soon, then she could get back to the dorm and curl up in her bed, that's if any of her dorm mates had returned. She looked over to her present company, he looked asleep, and he didn't look very well either – his eyelids fluttered open and she smiled at him.

"Hi," She said again, making firm eye contact, maybe he hadn't heard her the first time?

He still said nothing.

"I'm only trying to make conversation…" She rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat.

"Well don't," He said simply, his voice raspy, like he had a cold.

"Fine," Heidi gulped, "But you came and sat in my carriage, the least you could do would be to be polite…"

"You're a Hufflepuff, aren't you?" He asked, his eyes fleeting from her face to her tie.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm not surprised," He spat.

"Again, what has that got to do with anything?"

"You should be ashamed to be a Hufflepuff," He cursed after a moment's silence, and Heidi had the urge to punch him.

"I love Hufflepuff with all my heart, if you've got a problem with that you can leave!" Her eyes fleeted to the door, but she held her gaze so he knew she meant it.

He sulkily got up and stalked out of the carriage, without a word, leaving her last words ringing in her ears.